Driver's licensing and vehicle registration and their identification programs have existed since the onset of vehicle development. The difference today is that the technology is available to assure that the holder of the driver identification means is the correct person and that the vehicle license plate is associated with the correct vehicle. A larger issue in most new programs is how the identification system is going to be implemented and used. (Driver's License (DL) and Vehicle License Plate (LP), together, here after will be termed (DL/LP))
A further issue is what driver's licenses/license plates will have for information storage and security features. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of choices for the driver's license/license plate constructions, as well as for security and communication methods for these devices. Choices will be based on the needs of an issuing authority and other influencing bodies. Most all drivers' licensing authorities will require at least the image of the card holder, some type or method of electronic information storage, an identification method tying the card to an electronic database and card security to prevent fraudulent production. Plate licensing authorities will likely require a vehicle identification number, the issuing body and jurisdiction identification, an expiration date of the license plate and plate security to prevent fraudulent production.
Methods of production can also vary but in general the driver's licenses are produced either in a central location and provided to the customer at some future date or they are made at a local driver's license administration site and immediately given to the customer. The latter method of production is becoming more popular since customer satisfaction is a large issue for governments and immediate delivery is important to the customer. The license plate distribution typically follows the either of the same centralized or local distribution methods of production, although very few jurisdictions actually practice a localized distribution production.
In general, there is only one common production method used in driver's license card production today for large-scale local distribution programs; that is thermal transfer printing using either die sub or mass colorant ribbons. A typical card body is made up using two parts. The first part is a substrate, which is the bulk in the card. The second part is a clear top film or coating to protect the information on the card form abrasion and forgery. Both the substrate and the top film/coating may contain security elements while the substrate usually has the graphic information and occasionally an electronically readable data storage device. Some systems are capable of printing both the front and the back of the card. If electronically readable storage is included on the card, a device to write the information to the electronic storage component will be needed. For card enrollment, additional hardware that may be required can include an electronic cameras for acquiring the card holder's facial image, electronic finger print reader for finger print identification, electronic signature input pad, heat laminators to apply the top film to the substrate, die cutters for cutting the card shape and other pieces of hardware.
A driver's license administration authority can acquire low cost materials that will make a driver's license, which materials are also readily available to local forger. If only the cost of consumables is targeted as the deciding factor, then the system will not be sufficiently secure and the reason for having a licensing device will be defeated. A minimal system should be secure and serve the needs of law enforcement and a driver's license administration.
Problems with the current methods of driver's licensing include:                1. Production security is often inadequate and, as such, license-issuing operators of a driver's license administration can be tempted to illegally issue a driver's license.        2. Production hardware may not be adequate in terms of complexity and cost for some jurisdictions.        3. Even with some security features on a driver's license, they may hard to recognize by an enforcement officer on the street and therefore possible to forge.        4. The visual and electronic data on the driver's license may not adequately identify the correct person.        5. The driver's license may be alterable by illegal means.        6. The cost of consumables used to make a secure driver's license may be too high.        7. The durability of the driver's license may not meet the jurisdictional needs for a long life product.        8. A jurisdiction may want distributed production but use central production for reasons of security, system complexity or costs.        9. When a new driver's license program has been implemented, it can take years to make significant beneficial changes since most programs are just replacement as needed programs, not a total reissue.        
Accordingly, what is needed is a driver's license enrollment and personalization program that government agencies around the world can establish including a powerful, trusted and cost-effective platform for enrollment, data preparation and storage, entitlement verification, document production and delivery, and point-of-use verification. Moreover, technology standards are needed for driver's licenses that can meet the needs of drivers and regulatory officers.
License plate programs are generally managed by the same jurisdiction agency as the driver's license programs although they are typically administratively run under different departments. Not surprisingly a number of the same issues exist for license plate programs that are also found in the driver's license programs.
A license plate can be produced in a central location or a distributed location. More so than driver's license programs, it is very difficult to make a secure, durable license plate in distributed locations. A common central production method requires expensive hardware, lots of manufacturing space, many workers and works best when plates are manufactured in sequential order using preprinted background sheeting. For driver's licenses there is an industry of over-the-counter production methods that while costly are available. One production process using readily available materials for license plates includes the use of a handle assembly on a plate using embossed metal and ink roll coating or hot stamp foil to cover embossed characters. The other possibility is die cut characters that are hand laid up on polymer substrates. Neither of these methods includes security features and both such methods are labor intensive and, thus, not often used.
Most often license plates are centrally, sequentially produced and supplied to the vehicle owner at a jurisdictional office or they are mailed to the owner. These plates are costly for a number of reasons and do not work well for jurisdictions that make large profits from vanity and special interest license plates. Vanity and special interest license plates usually have to be ordered from a separate factory as out of sequence and special background plates that are very costly and take a long time, weeks or months, to produce.
License plates also do not do a good job of identifying a class of vehicles. Since a license plate background design can be used to sort classes of vehicles, such as the size of trucks, taxis, police cars, ambulances and the like, it would be beneficial if every plate could have a background, characters and identification data that is specific to a driver and class of vehicles. This is not practical for centrally produced license plates.
Almost no license plate has electronically readable data (that is not otherwise visually discernible) to identify the registered vehicle and allow for automated ticketing and the like.
License plates typically have little or no security. In some jurisdictions a fake plate is less costly to buy than a real plate and stolen plates can be moved to a similar vehicle with little threat of detection. This is caused by the fact that common license plates do not have any graphic data tying the plate to a particular vehicle. Vehicles are involved in some aspect of 60% of crimes and the license plate is an important practical way to identify a given vehicle. Most criminals are smart enough not to use a vehicle with a plate that can be traced back to them.
Just like driver's licenses, license plates production improvement or change requires an overhaul of the production and issuing system used by jurisdictions. The problems that are central to license plates include:                1. Production security is often inadequate and license plate administration operators can be tempted to illegally issue a license plate.        2. Locally distributed license plate production systems are not adequate in terms of complexity, costs, manpower or security for any jurisdiction.        3. It is very difficult for an enforcement officer on the street to determine if a vehicle has a legitimate license plate.        4. Visual and electronic data on a license plate is not adequate to identify the correct vehicle.        5. A license plate may be alterable or produced by fraudulent means.        6. The cost of consumables and production used to make a secure license plate is too high.        7. The durability of a license plate may not meet the jurisdictional needs for a long life product that has the required security, durability and electronically readable data.        8. A jurisdiction may want distributed production but use central production for reasons of security, system complexity or costs.        9. In order to implement a new license plate, it can take years to make significant beneficial changes since most programs are just replacement as needed programs, not a total reissue.        
Accordingly, what is needed are license plate construction and personalization solutions, so that government agencies around the world can establish a powerful, trusted and cost-effective platform for vehicle enrollment, data preparation and storage, entitlement verification, document production and delivery, and point-of-use verification.